Will the Assistant Become the Driver, and the Driver Become the Assistant?

Current conversational and hierarchical structures between Personal Assistants (PAs) and drivers are clearly and explicitly defined, in that users are either hierarchically superordinate or on par with their PAs. Simultaneously, technological advances around intelligence, personalization and proactivity have gained momentum in the most recent past. The exponential development of intelligence-based technologies will soon enable PAs to take over large parts of the driving process. PAs will convince drivers to trust in their capabilities, by explaining themselves and their decision-making processes. They will consider drivers’ knowledge, experience, and needs to transform interactions into deeply personal experiences. Furthermore, proactive PAs will provide context-sensitive content in adequate situations. These developments may just tip the scale and challenge currently valid PA-driver-relations. We envision roles to undergo a reversal: where conversations are now driven by users and assisted by assistants, intelligent, personalized, and proactive PAs will take over the lead and, figuratively, the driver seat.